Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed-Media Techniques

What a super book! I am by nature an experiment an experimental mixed media artist and am also on the look out for ideas which could be adapted for use in workshops for people with mental ill health. ( i.e. people lacking confidence and afraid of it 'going wrong. or not looking 'right') from the very first glance and looking through directions/recipes I was excited by the potential 'to play'. An interesting surface can be cut up to make collages , background for printing or designs in a workshop, and give great satisfaction. There are reviews complaining about the American bias so it's not possible to work out the ingredients of some examples, and I will try googling items before I dismiss particular experiments, but the philosophy is clear - have a go and experiment. Troubleshooting notes will steer you if it the result as you would like. I would say 'never throw any of these away, as they might be just what you are looking for, in the future! Not sure why I waited so long to buy it, just looking at it makes me excited and say 'What could I do with .that?!' If you think I might have the same approach to art as I do, I am sure you will find it a good purchase.

I love this book, as soon as you open the book you want to get out your paints and expore with it.If you like mixed media art and acrylic paint you will love this book. I saw so much in here that I would use in my projects and have had a lot of fun trying them out and modifying them to my own style.If you love to explore with colour, and want to add more texture with your projects you will love it. Check out the authors website listed in the book as there are some video tutorials of techniques in the book.If you love the cover you will love the contents, highly recommend it to everyone

this book is good for kicking off ideas to use new materials or to use materials in new ways. the example paintings are pretty naff and not to be copied! read the text of each exercise and interpret the techniques described to suit your own work, get in there and make a mess, experiment, have some fun. i like the book but don't think the authors could teach anyone to paint.

I first got this as a kindle addition so I knew about the contents, but I found that it was limiting so I ordered this and I'm so glad I did. It's so much easier to understand as you see the projects a lot clearer across the pages.The techniques are explained in an a easy way with plenty of pictures. It give a list of materials, surfaces, archival quality and tips so you can get organized before you start. It also has a troubleshooting comments. There are pictures of artists that work in mix media as examples. The book has a index at the back and a list of suppliers contact details

I have found this book a fantastic way of pushing my artwork in new directions. There are many ideas for approaches to paint which you would never have thought of before including techniques using common household items. It also covers some of the gels/mediums seen in art shops which I would not have thought about using before as I did not know how to use them to best effect. If you are an art student or teacher it should be a staple reference book. The instructions are easy to follow, photographs are clear and examples shown inspirational.

This book does indeed contain what it says on the tin, in that it shows quite a number of surface treatment techniques and a range of effects that you can get with each. One big advantage is that it indicates the archival properties of the techniques, the only such book I've come across that does this. I've so far been a bit reluctant to play with different chemical mixtures (such as soaps and foams) for this reason. A substantial disadvantage of this book is that a lot of the techniques require specific art products from specific manufacturers that may be easily available in the US, but aren't that ubiquitous (nor very cheap!) here. Also, what "fibre paste", "ceramic stucco", "Tyvek" or "Venetian plaster" exactly are is explained nowhere. It may be obvious for US readers, but it's not clear to me. Only some of these things have (American...) suppliers in the resources section. Having said that, there are also techniques using the widely available water, cooking salt, alcohol, etc...! All in all, it's a nice book that may inspire me to experiment with what could possibly be equivalents to these unknown American things. I have used salt, alcohol, etc. in my paintings before, and so it's not all new to me, but for someone who is entirely new to this kind of painting the instructions in the book are maybe a little bit on the short side. On the other hand, keeping the instructions short is probably in keeping with the experimental approach.

As an art teacher I am always looking for interesting ways that pupils can create different surfaces and this book provided many ideas that were relatively cheap and easy. The book became a very big hit with the rest of the department and was the source of inspiration to many of the pupils pieces of work. The only downside was I didn't know what all the materials were, if there was an alternative or where I would be able to get them from but altogether it was a very good buy.

This is the one of the best mixed media books I've come across yet. I love that the majority of the mediums used are common items in any art and crafts studio or items that can be easily found in any art supply shop, grocery or hardware store. Each tutorial gives multiple examples of the same medium but with a slight spin. By the time I was on page 60 I had to put it down and go make something.

Este libro me parece recomendable para tod@s l@s que quieran iniciarse en el trabajo de incompatibilidades, y efectos gráficos, soy licenciado en bellas artes y creo que con él se pueden aprender cosas nuevas que incorporar a lo que ya conozco.Recomendable para todos los que les guste experimentar.

I have been a fan of Ms McElroy & Ms Wilson since I first got my artsy little hands on Image Transfer Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Successful Transfers. I value that book tremendously and was more than a little stoked when I heard they had another compilation on the way. As much as I adore Image Transfer Workshop, this new book is equally fantastic (just on different subject matter)!I cannot agree with the other reviewer about the illustrations, though. At all. I LOVE the photos and work used as examples. I don't care if it came from class students or so-called "professionals" - I thoroughly enjoyed all of it and in my opinion, each piece pictured serves as inspirational reiteration of the projects/ideas/techniques presented. Beyond the Introduction and a short instructional on How to Use This Book, there are two major sections: Techniques and Inspirational Projects. The Technique section in broken into three sub-categories: Additives (Aluminum Foil, Drawing Grounds, Ventilation Tape, Faux Encaustics, just to name a few), Resists (Rubbing Alcohol, Petroleum Jelly, Salt, White Craft Glue, etc), and Subtractive or Combination (Painted Leaf, Rust, Sanding, Tyvek, etc). With the Inspirational Projects section containing 4 additional projects spanning ten pages, resources, and an index, this book is as thorough as it is fun to read and look at.The photos clearly show how to use the suggested materials, as well as finished samples. Samples provide adequate examples of a technique, in my opinion. With all the parts I love about this book, advanced and experienced artists beware - I doubt you'll learn many (if any) new techniques. It's a great compilation of techniques, don't get me wrong. There just aren't any new-to-me techniques - although I always enjoy seeing new ways each technique can be presented and used. I like Surface Treatment Workshop because of the vast array of techniques it covers all in one place.On a final note, it's been my experience that if there is something in the book you have questions about or don't understand, emailing Ms McElroy will produce a thorough response, quickly. I'm really glad I got this book - as much for the cool techniques as for the wonderful photographs.

J'ai cherché des livres en français sur le sujet sans succès...Ce livre est magnifique et en plus de proposer plusieurs techniques, il montre également grâce à des vignettes plusieurs rendus d'une même technique, ce qui est appréciable pour quelqu'un de débutant comme moi.Ce livre m'a véritablement inspirée et donné le courage de me lancer et surtout d'essayer, ce qui n'est pas évident lorsque l'on n'a pas les bases.Je ne peux que le conseiller.

Zunächst war ich etwas skeptisch, in England ein englisches Buch zu ordern, aber ich wurde sehrpositiv überrascht!! Das Porto (3€) war völlig ok und die Lieferung war in 5 Tagen da.Damit liegen Bücher dieser Art preislich deutlich unter den hiesigen (wenn man so was hier überhaupt findet...).Das Buch ist ein Paperback - sehr angenehm.Nun zum Inhalt:Auf 143 Seiten werden 45 verschiedene Verfahren zur Gestaltung der Bildoberfläche erläutert.Sehr viele Fotos geben Beispiele und den Anleitungen ist leicht zu folgen.Dieses Buch macht unheimlich Lust auf mehr davon!!! Man will sofort loslegen.Nach ein paar Seiten vergisst man total, dass es auf englisch ist, denn die wesentlichen Vokabelnwiederholen sich oft und man muss nicht viel nachblättern...Also: keine Angst vor der Sprache (sooo viel Text ist nicht da..)Zu jedem Verfahren wir in Bildern anschaulich erklärt, wie man vorgeht.Es gibt eine Materialliste am Rand, Vorschläge, auf welchem Medium man das Ganze am besten probiert(welche Art von Papier, Holz, Pappe, ect.) und jede Menge Tipps für Abwandlungen dieser Technik!!Dann gibt es noch Hinweise zu Problemen, die dabei auftauchen können und wie man sie vermeidet.Alles ist sehr übersichtlich aufgebaut und jeder Schritt ist mit Photos bebildert.Man merkt, dass die Autoren wirklich alles selbst probiert haben und eine Menge Spass dabei hatten.Zwischen den Kapiteln finden sich fertige Beispiele, die die ganze Bandbreite der Verfahren zeigenund wirklich Lust machen, sofort alles auszuprobieren...Das Schöne ist, dass zwar das Grundverfahren ausgiebig erklärt wird, aber dennoch viel Raum für Eigenes ist.Man wird animiert, selber auszuprobieren, zu experimentieren und zu entdecken!!Das Wichtigste natürlich: die Kombination der einzelnen Verfahren...Seeeeeehr empfehlenswert!!! 5 Sternchen

Tolle Vorschläge für das Gestalten von Hintergründen für alle möglichen Anwendungen. Viele verschiedene Materialien laden zum Experimentieren ein.